Black Within White
by fantasydreamer94
Summary: Raven finds herself in the past and in the world of Azarath. There, she meets an Azarathian man, who is also named Raven. As the events unfold in front of her eyes, she begins to understand just who this Raven man is to her before she was born. Discover the untold story of Raven's birth and the one person who has been missing in her life.
1. The Black Raven

**A/N:** **I do not own anything from the Teen Titans universe. All characters and anything else from the Teen Titans universe belong to their rightful owners.**

**This fan fiction is completely non-canonical and fictional. The original character I am using does not exist at all.**

**This story takes place the day before the Teen Titans episode, "Birthmark."**

**Please enjoy and review.**

* * *

Raven sits in her dark room.

After meditating for a period of time, she remembers what the day of tomorrow is.

Tomorrow is the celebration of her birth.

Her birthday, the day when the Prophecy can come true…

Her demonic father, Trigon, returns to the world of mortals to destroy everything by using Raven as a portal.

She hopes that the Prophecy will not be fulfilled. If Trigon returns, he will destroy Earth and everyone, including her friends, the Teen Titans.

Raven schedules to wait, as patiently as she can, so that tomorrow will just pass by as if nothing will happen.

However, today…is a different story.

The alarm of the Titan Tower blares loudly, alerting the Titans to go to the main room.

Raven sighs, gets off her bed, and immediately heads out.

Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy are already in the main room, looking at the gigantic screen with footages from security cameras. A man in yellow armor is stealing artifacts from many different museums.

"What's happening now?" Raven arrives with a low voice.

"It seems Warp is back." Robin creates a scrunch with his eyebrows, bending his mask inward.

Starfire gasps, "He has returned again?"

"Dude sure does have bad timing…" Cyborg crosses his metallic arms.

"Hold on…!" Beast Boy puts his finger on his chin,

"Star said that she and he went to the future and she saw him turn into a baby…so, does that mean he's went back in time and grew up?" the green Titan confuses himself with rolling eyeballs.

"However he did it," Raven puts her hood on, shadowing half of her upper face, "It's time for him to go back where he belongs."

"Right." Robin nods, "Let's go!"

* * *

In a museum of Jump City, Warp approaches a miniature hand-sized golden clock of high quality detail.

Just before he could reach through the glass to steal it, a bridarang smacks and explodes behind his yellow armor. Warp looks behind him, and sees the Teen Titans standing and facing the time-travelling villain.

"Now's not the time for you children to meddling about." Warp grins, "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"The only one who's going to be sleeping tonight, is you, Warp..." Robin states in his steely voice, "...in jail."

"You will stop the travelling of time and be put where you belong." Starfire adds.

"Oh, we have met before?" Warp cocks his eyebrow, "I believe time sure has been an enemy for us…100 fold."

"Titans, go!" Robin orders.

The Titans spread out, and take him head-on.

Starfire flies above him and sends multiple starbolts. Warp opens his palm and emits wave-like ripples, destroying the starbolts by suspending them in the air and makes time move forward quickly, causing the starbolts to run out of energy and disappear. Cyborg comes up from behind and fires beams of blue energy. Warp turns and deflects the beams with his wrist armor. Cyborg runs up to him to deliver a heavy punch, but Warp catches his fist and makes Cyborg's metallic arm rust and decay.

"Aw man…!" Cyborg watches his arm break into pieces.

Warp shoots at him with laser beams from shoulder-mounted blasters that project out of his armor, and sending Cyborg flying backwards. Robin runs towards Warp and flings three disk grenades. Instead of hitting Warp, the disk grenades lands on the floor close to him. The disk grenades explode with bluish-white smoke. As the smoke clears, Warp is frozen with sheathes of ice covering his entire body. Robin jumps up, extends his steel bo-staff, and descends towards the frozen Warp with the bo-staff ready to strike. Suddenly, the ice on Warp melts away swiftly.

"The Ice Age is in the past, boy." Warp smirks and blasts Robin with a forehead laser blaster.

Robin is pushed in the air and lands on Starfire, sending them both backwards and then landing on top of Cyborg.

Raven hovers above Warp. Her eyes glow brightly white, and she telepathically holds up big wooden grandfather clocks, which are engulfed in black aura, with her psychic powers. She throws the clocks at Warp, but he sends them back by sending rays of disorientated waves into the clocks and reverses time. The clocks smash onto Raven and she drops onto the floor with large pieces of broken wood falling and burying her.

Beast Boy, in a rhino form, charges straight at him with horn forward. Warp makes a gesture and surrounds himself with a force field of transparent blue energy. Beast Boy rams into the force field and becomes stunned by the strong recoil. Beast Boy involuntary returns to his humanoid form, and staggers. Warp chuckles and explodes the blue force field outward, flipping Beast Boy into the air and knocking Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg back down again. The four dazed Titans get back on their feet, and prepare to fight Warp again. They head straight for him,

"Playtime's over." Warp sends a flash of white beam and covers the four Titans.

The white beam shortly causes the movement of Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg to slow down greatly. There is just enough time for Warp to steal the miniature golden clock and use his Vortex Generator to create a time portal.

Raven groans as the heavy pieces of wood immobilize her from being able to move.

"So long, Titans. May we meet again…in time." Warp holds the clock in one hand and presses the white plate on his chest.

"Not if I can help it!" Raven yells.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Raven instantly astral projects her spirit in a black aura form and flies out of the pile of wood for Warp.

The white plate on Warp's chest glows brilliantly and shoots a white time/space distortion ray out.

Raven's astral projected spirit is caught in the ray.

All of a sudden, Raven feels like she is being pulled in and pushed back at the same time by a strong force. Everything around her dims and turns dark. Raven spins and falls what feels to be the empty space of a dimension. Her mind generates a high-pitch hum that buzzes her comprehension of what is happening. The suppressed emotions inside of her swirl with confusion. Then, a light in the darkness shines throughout and blinds her.

* * *

Raven opens her eyes.

She finds herself standing in a familiar setting.

Looking around, she sees majestic buildings and towers, glittering in gold underneath the sunshine.

She knows this place.

She is in the world of Azarath.

_"Azarath? Why…am I here?"_ Raven studies her surroundings, sees Azarathians in white cloaks, and robes walking around.

She walks up to one person,_ "Excuse me, did you…?"_

The person, however, passes by her without saying a word.

Raven goes to another person, _"Am I in Azarath, right now-?"_

That person, too, ignores her and continues walking.

Raven starts to feel annoyed, and stands in front of another person, "_Hey, do you know-?"_

Unexpectedly, the person walks through her body.

_"…!"_ Raven gasps and turns to see that the person goes on as if nothing happened.

She looks at her hands and tries to come up with a possible explanation. She and her friends were fighting against Warp. She astral projected right before Warp could open a portal, and then she ends up here.

Raven is still in her spiritual form, although more as a ghost.

The device Warp was using probably contacted with her spirit and triggered a confliction of time and space within her.

Raven is most likely in her past inside the dimension of Azarath.

_"Okay, let's just try and get back to reality."_ Raven exhales calmly and chants, _"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"_

Nothing happens.

_"Huh?"_ Raven blinks, _"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"_

Once more, nothing happens.

Another person passes through Raven without any knowledge that she exists right there as a ghost.

_"What is happening? Why can't I go back?"_ Raven frustrates.

Quickly trying to find a solution, she relooks at the environment.

She is in Azarath.

If she is in the past, then the people she knows could be here.

_"I know…I could go and meet with mother. Maybe she could help somehow."_ Raven thoughtfully suggests in her mind.

Raven discovers that she still retains her flying ability.

She goes towards the tower she used to know with the Azarath symbol of a grand bird on its face. As she approaches above the building, she sees no one who is familiar to her. Her mother, Arella, is not there. The furniture is different and the people, who are currently residing in it, are people Raven does not know.

_"She's not here…" _Raven mutters,_ "If she's not here, then…perhaps, Monk Azar can help. She's always at the temple."_

Raven flies her way to the Temple of Azarath.

She comes across an architecture she finds memorable as well, the two colossal doors that leads inside of the Room of High Order.

Remembering that she is in a metaphysical form, she enters the doors without the need to open them.

She walks forward into the room filled with white colors. There are also high overarching columns and walls that have Azarathians sitting behind them in high chairs. Raven has to look up, in order to have eye contact with them. The Room of High Order is a place where the council of monks and magistrates gathers for a meeting. Raven can see the monks and magistrates sitting and waiting.

As she stands in the middle of a small-elevated table stone in front of the council, Raven looks for Monk Azar. The white cloaked Azarathians pull their hoods back and Raven can tell who is who.

The person in the middle with the highest chair pulls her hood back and reveals herself.

She is an old woman with white long hair and little wrinkly skin.

She is the one.

She is Azar.

_"Monk Azar…!"_ Raven smiles and pulls her hood back.

"…"

_"It's me, Raven! I have been sent back here by accident from the future. I need your help to…!"_

Before Raven could explain her situation, the two colossal doors behind her open.

The doors open rather slowly.

Raven turns around to see who is opening the doors and interrupting her.

The light from the outside comes into the room of white and causes Raven to cover her eyes.

She can see a black figure entering the room.

As the figure comes closer to her position, the figure appears as a hooded man in a black loosely cloak and with a black robe inside.

The hooded man stops just behind the small-elevated table stone where Raven is standing.

The doors behind him close and the shining light fades.

"Ah, Raven. You are here!" Azar welcomes with a cheerful voice.

_"…! What…?"_ Raven exclaims.

"The council has summoned me?" the black hooded man questions with a dark and raspy undertone.

"Indeed we have, Raven." Azar nods.

This black hooded man, his name is Raven, too?

The female Raven tries to catch the attention of Monk Azar,_ "Monk Azar! It's me, Raven! What is going on?"_

It was no use. The monk could not hear her. She is in a ghostly state and her voice falls only to her ears. She turns to the black hooded man who has the same name as her.

The man pulls back his black hood to reveal his face.

The one also known as Raven, has a grayish skin color like her. His black hair combed backwards and tucks behind his ears, and its style is closely the same to hers. His widow's peak has a triangular point that bears the same shape as a raven's beak. There is a red gemstone imprinted on the middle of his forehead. His dual bright gray eyes have radiance with a dark aura that feels very similar to Trigon and the female Raven's powers.

The purple-hair Raven stands aside to see what is about to take place.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of the monks' presence?" the male Raven speaks.

"The council has summoned you to discuss the matters regarding of your brother." A different monk answers.

"My brother, you say?"

_"…?" _the female Raven wonders what that means.

"Your brother, Trigon, of course." Azar includes.

_"…!"_ Raven is shocked to hear what she is hearing.

The man whose name is Raven, is the brother of her demonic father, Trigon?

Who is this man?

* * *

**A/N:** Please tell me what you think about this first chapter.

As I mentioned, this fan fiction is entirely non-canonical and fictional.

I have updated this chapter. Azar is actually a woman. Three females are named Azar, and they are all related. The first Azar is the mother and grandmother of the next latter. The third Azar is in this story.

For the sake of my original character in this story, the male Raven will be addressed as "Black Raven," while the teenage Raven is simply "Raven" and whatever she says or thinks will be in Italic.

If you have any predictions or comments, please type it in as a review below.

Thanks for reading.


	2. The Demon Brothers

Black Raven steps on the table stone in front of the high council members.

Raven is hesitant to accept the kind of chain of events that is occurring now. This is most likely not her past. Could it be an alternate reality? This other Azarathian, sharing the same name as her, bears some certain traits that match with her characteristics, although to some extent. Is it possible that this Black Raven is Raven's alternate ego from an entirely different reality? That is the most reasonable scenario. But if that is the case, what else is not the same?

Raven found out that this other Raven is the brother of her father, Trigon. Why would this reality have Raven as a sibling to an evil demon? Raven never knew about Trigon having a brother, or even any family. Her mother never talked about it, if she did, she would have at least mentioned it to Raven as a way to keep the information as a side note. Raven stops asking herself with more questions and waits until the answers come upon her.

"Raven, through our visions of the dimensions, we found Trigon traversing every one of them numerous times, and each visit, he brings chaotic destruction with him. He is searching for something. It is something that we do not perceive beneficial to an iniquity manifestation." A male monk, next to Azar, mentions to Black Raven.

"Trigon is a devious varmint with deep enmity to being subjected in one place." Black Raven describes, "Perhaps he is pursuing a suitable dimension where he can reside upon his liking."

"A demon with a visceral mind finding an apt territory would inevitably create additional destruction and thus the beginning of the cycle of devastation once more. Where could possibly a demon with the behavior of an intrinsic virus subject himself for contentment?" A different magistrate asks.

"If I may speak out against the mannerisms of the Azarathian code, the possible domain that I can relate with my brother would be here, in Azarath." Black Raven replies.

"…" the council holds their brief silence.

"It is a sensible suggestion coming from someone who is just as much of a demon as Trigon." Another magistrate nods.

_"Demon…? So, he's a demon also."_ Raven thinks to herself while studying Black Raven's appearances.

"However, the powerful almighty good protects Azarath. No evil can enter its realms to begin with." The same magistrate includes.

"Of course." Black Raven bows his head out of respect.

"The point is, Raven…" Azar begins, "…the council wants you to locate your brother, Trigon, and bring him to put an end of his injurious actions."

"A mindless being of philistine should not become a hindrance to triumph over for you, Raven." A female magistrate states.

"Forgive me for disagreeing with that avowal of prejudice, but my brother is no mindless being. He is a cunning and complex demon with a powerful adaptability. Challenging him is no simple task." Black Raven warns.

"This is why the council asks of you, the only demon allowed within Azarath, to follow Trigon and seek to stop him. If this does not happen, the dimensions will fall and will threaten the future of Azarath." A male monk, from before, complies.

"…" Black Raven brings his glance to Azar, who smiles at him. "Very well, I accept the High Order's request."

"Then it's decided. The council ask of you, Raven, to find your brother, Trigon, and bring his oppression to a change for the better." Azar stands up, along with the other council members, "Let the light of Azarath guide you."

Black Raven puts back on his hood, shadowing his entire upper face and brightening his gray eyes, and turns to leave.

For some reason, Raven has a pulling factor that is making her follow Black Raven. The grim sensation that envelops around him is attracting Raven's powers. As he is walking away, Raven finds her feet moving on its own. She heard that he is going to search for Trigon across dimensions. That must mean a lead for her to find her way back. Seeing that there is no way for her to communicate to anyone, she finds no other choice but to follow the Black Raven.

_"I guess, following him is the only way to get out of this mess."_ Raven comments in her mind.

She looks back to Azar, who is watching Black Raven exiting the room of white. She will never know that Raven is there, and she cannot help her. Even if she does know, she would tell Raven to find her own way to escape this problem and rather fixing it herself.

The double colossal doors open.

Raven promptly goes after the black hooded man.

* * *

Black Raven stops outside in front of the temple and behind descending steps.

He takes a deep breath of the air and exhales in a halcyon manner.

Raven is right behind him, and she notices the black hooded Azarathian just standing there. He is apparently taller than her by seven inches. He looks young as well, with a face of a twenty-year old man. She ponders about how the brother of her demonic father is in a human-like form, and not in a creaturely gigantic state, like Trigon. Also, is this man a good person? The council, especially Azar, seems to trust him like any other respected Azarathian. However, Black Raven is the only demon that is inside Azarath, and the city does not allow demons in it.

Could that mean something negative, or that he is trustworthy enough as Azarath's ally?

How can this man help her?

_"So what are you going to do now?"_ Raven asks, even though she knows that he cannot hear her.

"Raven…" a voice appears.

Both Black Raven and Raven turn around, and sees Azar walking to Black Raven's side with her holy white cloak and hood on. Her face is entirely visible. She goes through Raven without awareness and stands by Black Raven. Raven goes to Black Raven's other side and listens to what Azar is going to say.

"Your committed task troubles you?" Azar queries with a smile.

"I am hardly troubled by anything under any circumstances." Black Raven quickly replies, "Having any emotional opinions of what is to come would only hinder my capability of resolving the conflict at hand."

"Ah, yes, I expected that answer from you." Azar chuckles as if she knew Black Raven was going to say that, "But, you have already mastered the control of your emotions, have you not?"

"I have." Black Raven nods, "Contrariwise, it is still a risk nevertheless. I am still able to cause irrepressible disaster if my emotions become the ruling over the mind."

"Hmm…" Azar looks to the distance, overseeing the entire cities of golden architecture, "During the construction's inception for Azarath, my mother said that you were my grandmother's greatest help. She would have never completed a world for all these Azarathians if it was not for you."

"Your mother Azar and grandmother Azar were the creators of serenity. I was merely shadowing their great knowledge." Black Raven tilts his head down.

"Yes, yes…" Azar closes her eyes and breathes in the air, "Of course, time has been passing by us all. You lived past both their lifetimes of five-hundred years. You have lived longer than I will ever have, and you are the one who shares our same view of a peaceful world."

"I…am sure that there are others, which are not demons, who values that view that same way."

"Perhaps…" Azar reopens her eyes, "But then…maybe, we are all the same in the end, demons or not."

"No, we are not the same. You, your mother, and grandmother are people who cherishes tranquility, while I am a bearer of suppressed rage and evil. My brother and I are not well-acquainted, but we are, in the end, on the opposing side of good."

"And yet, we can still have a conversation with one another." Azar smirks.

"…"

"There is a favor I wish to ask of you." Azar crosses her arms behind her back.

"…?"

"You remember the terrestrial planet of Earth?"

"Yes. That is where the first of your grandmother's followers began the journey to create a world in this dimension."

"And you were one of them."

"Yes, I was."

"…" Azar takes another deep breath, "I wish to ask of you...to go to the Earth."

"…For what is the purpose, Azar?" Black Raven takes note of Azar's sudden interest.

"As I said before, time has been passing by. It's been far so long since my grandmother left Earth for its violence. Since then, the people here have grown as peace-makers. Now, I wish to know how the time has been for the people on Earth." Azar explains.

"You wish for me…to observe the human beings?" Black Raven questions.

"Yes. You are the only one I know who can cross dimensions with much ease, and the only one alive who has seen the Earth's past."

"…"

"Of course, if you do not wish to go back, then I understand." Azar smiles again.

"I do not have any remorse against your request." Black Raven asserts, "However, I must get access to my studies to return my memories of going back to that dimension."

"Are you sure? I do not wish to force you." Azar reminds.

"I have no sense of judgment against the wise leader of Azarath. If she asks for my help, then I shall provide with the best of my ability."

"…" Azar grins, "All right, Raven…you may go whenever you like. Once you have discovered anything at all, we can talk it over with a cup of tea?"

"Very well." Black Raven nods.

Azar nods back, "Thank you, Raven. As for your current task, I bless you with my faith. Please take caution and return safety."

The white cloaked female monk departs and returns back inside the temple.

Black Raven begins going down the steps in front of him, and Raven follows.

* * *

They venture through the city of Azarath for lengthy time. Black Raven and Raven stops on top of a small bridge that is over a thin stream of pure water. Black Raven jumps down and creates a small splash. Droplets of water flies out to the exposing skin of his hands and face, slightly burning him. Raven does the same, but does not feel any burns, obviously because she is a ghost form. The both of them stare, at the bottom of the bridge, a small symbol of a black bird.

_"Okay…what does that mean?"_ Raven asks.

Black Raven walks and stands atop of the symbol, while bending his head down a little to fit under the bridge. Raven watches as the magic he is using surprises her. Black Raven's body dissolves into black smoke and the symbol sucks it in, like a vacuum in space. After Black Raven fully disappears, Raven stands on the symbol as well, without the need to bend her head. She waits for a brief moment, but nothing happens. She assumes that magic does not affect her while she is in a spiritual form.

_"Great…"_ Raven sighs.

Suddenly, her body feels lighter. She notices her body dissipating with black smoke and feels herself being drawn in. She enters the black bird symbol, and right in an instant moment, she arrives wherever the symbol took her.

_"Whoa…"_

Raven is inside of a circular medium-sized room, the same size as her bedroom back on Earth. There is no bed, but there are lots of books and shelves. There is one wide wooden table in the middle of the room, with numerous stacks of large books on top. The only light source is the lit lanterns hanging on the enclosed brick walls. Looking behind her, the wall has the same black bird symbol that shows where she just came from. Raven feels she is in the medieval times, in a library inside of a castle. This setting is just her thing.

She notices Black Raven, with his hood back down, pulling out a rolled up map and lays it out on the table. Raven goes next to him to see what he is reading. The map has a circle that takes up most of the space on the paper. Inside of the mostly black circle, there are multiple aligning of stars, as well as constellations. Black Raven's fingers are realigning the stars by spinning the circles within the big circle. Raven can hear him muttering something under his breath, and finds him stopping at one point. She sees different patterns of alignments, but she could not tell what it means.

Black Raven turns around and puts back on his hood.

He brings himself to the symbol of the black bird and positions in front of it. He whispers very lowly, and touches the symbol with one tap.

_"Is that how he is going to do it?"_ Raven assumes this is his way of transporting himself to other places.

Black Raven dispels as black smoke and the symbol pulls him in.

Raven hurriedly does the same.

* * *

Instead of returning back under the bridge, she enters in a total new world completely.

The landscape in front of her is a wasteland of gray. Black clouds float underneath the red colored sky. Dead black trees extend out of the rocky dirt. The air is barely breathable. The foul smells of rotten corpses. The evil atmosphere feels very familiar to Raven.

She can sense that he is here.

Her demon father, Trigon, is here.

Raven holds her arms together. Her fear triggers from the pressuring wickedness. Even though she is in a ghost state, she feels in danger. Looking around for a bit and seeing Black Raven walking in the distance, she rushes to him. As she gets closer, the aura around Black Raven seems to negate the negative energy emitting from the gray land, and Raven feels safer. Raven stays by him as Black Raven continues his walk.

They see a red giant with silver long hair and black markings on his body in the distance, facing away from them. He is gulping what appears as lava, from a river full of it. Raven puts on her guard, and Black Raven stops in place from a distance away from the red giant with horns.

"Trigon." Black Raven calls.

"…I have sensed your presence." Trigon stops his lava drinking with a grueling voice, "You stink of light."

"Do you know why I am here?"

"Hmm, perhaps to lecture me about the control of rage…?" Trigon growls.

"…" Black Raven moves himself closer, "You have been travelling throughout the dimensions."

"So what if I have?"

"You have caused mayhem and jeopardizing the balance."

"…"

"Brother…"

"Brother…?" Trigon turns around and glares at Black Raven with four glowing red eyes, "You are not my brother!"

Trigon scoops up lava with his right hand and throws it at Black Raven.

Raven instinctively puts her arms up to defend herself out of reflex, but Black Raven only remains in his place.

He gawks at the thrown lava and his eyes glow white.

The lava instantaneously becomes extinguished with black aura appearing out of nowhere and engulfing it.

Trigon roars and smashes on the ground while standing up. His gigantic size makes his head appears to be touching the red skies.

"A brother of mine would not be in a human form such as how you are in." Trigon points, "A brother of mine would not have betrayed me."

"…"

Trigon grips his fists and then shrinks himself down to a smaller form. He stops his resizing and is now 3 feet taller than Black Raven. He treads in front of Black Raven with his powerful magic of evil.

"A brother of mine would be at my side and conquer with me." Trigon gapes at Black Raven's gray eyes.

"I have no obligation for using my powers to destroy." Black Raven states.

"And you use them for good?" Trigon yells, "You dare call yourself a demon? You are deluding yourself with an illusion that you are different.

"…"

Trigon shows his back at Black Raven again, "I find the dwelling creatures of this land to be more comprehensive of me than you."

"We may not be brothers by blood, but we are still brothers by spirit. We are the last demons left. It is time we use our powers to maintain our existence."

"Which power would that be?" Trigon grins and roars with, "This one?!"

He fires a burst of red energy beam towards Black Raven. Raven is far from the beam's range, but it is large enough to consume Black Raven entirely.

_"…!"_ she watches as the red energy beam seemingly destroys Black Raven.

Unexpectedly, black energy shatters out of the red energy beam and charges at Trigon.

"Guh!" Trigon grunts as the black energy explodes onto his chest and sends him into the river of lava.

The smoke fades from Black Raven's spot.

Raven sees him undamaged and alive, standing with his hand extended with palm open.

Black Raven walks over to the side of the lava river with Trigon sitting in it, discombobulated.

"Ugh…RAVEN!" Trigon roars with fury and prepares to fires another attack.

Black Raven reacts first; he entraps Trigon down by manifesting blades with his black magic and jamming them into the horned red demon. The blades did not hurt Trigon physically, but they are keeping him from making any more sudden attacks. Trigon lies there with his arms and legs punctured with four blades of black aura. Black Raven's power awes Raven. She never seen anyone who is able to survive Trigon's wrath and stop him. This Black Raven is absolutely powerful. He is probably not even trying.

"What is it that you are looking for, brother?" Black Raven asks, "Why are you travelling the dimensions?"

"Grr…" Trigon struggles, "It does not concern you!"

"Yes it does. You and I are the last of our species. For that reason alone, I must know!" Black Raven raises his voice, "Tell me why you are destroying the dimensions!"

"…" Trigon raises his head to look at Black Raven, "Go to hell."

"…" Black Raven clenches his fist and the black blades' aura spreads out on Trigon's body.

The powerful black aura grasps Trigon and raises him up in the air. Black Raven brings him closer until he is within his reach. Close enough, Black Raven puts his hand on the red gemstone on Trigon's forehead. Trigon's red eyes and mouth shine with white light, and Black Raven's eyes do the same. Raven gawps at Black Raven using his magic on her demon father. The shining stops, the black aura disintegrates, and Trigon drops onto the ground on his knees ostensibly weakened. Black Raven looks down on him.

"Your plan is to destroy all life?" Black Raven scowls, "You wish to claim the dimensions as your own?"

"Domination…" Trigon reluctantly begins to answer, now that Black Raven knows his reasons, "I want to rule everything. Everything is to be mine."

At this point, Raven sees Black Raven's demeanor become more aggressive. He grabs Trigon by the throat and jerks him up close to his face.

"You want to destroy Azarath!" Black Raven's gray eyes begin to turn red.

"Yes. All of it." Trigon chuckles, "I have travelled every dimension possible to find it. But, I will know where it shall be, once I finally destroy all the dimensions. I will destroy all of it."

Black Raven's grip tightens, "No, you will never find it! You will not destroy it! I will not let you!"

"Oh, you will. You will help me find it. My plan had already set in motion."

"What…?"

"You are already one of them, all because I let you become one of them. Presumably, they trust you enough to let you enter their realms. That was my plan, and you followed it so admirably."

"…!"

"Believe it so, Raven. You are helping me destroy Azarath, even without knowing." Trigon grins.

"NO!" Black Raven bursts a blast of black energy on his neck and sends him backwards, "You are wrong! I am not helping you destroy it!"

Trigon gets back up and wipes his chin with his wrist.

Black Raven points at him.

"You do anything foolish again; I WILL destroy YOU, Trigon!" Black Raven admonishes with his eyes fully glowing red.

"I already have. NOW DO IT! KILL ME!" Trigon tempts him.

Black Raven starts to growl demonically and his black aura surround his extended open palm. Trigon's grin grows wide. Raven tries to stop Black Raven.

_"No! Don't do it! He's tricking you!"_ Raven tries to get her voice to be heard by him.

Black Raven hesitates, and realizes his mistake. He closes his eyes and hand. He turns away from Trigon with his entire body hiding beneath his black cloak.

"You are a weak fool, Raven." Trigon starts to walk towards him, "Your restraint of rage has left you without full power. You wish for peace and look what it has done to us."

"…"

"Brother…" Trigon places his hand on Black Raven's shoulder, "Come back to your senses. You are forgetting who you are. You are a demon, not an Azarathian. Join me and let us survive together as brothers!"

Black energy suddenly flashes and hits Trigon back again, sliding his feet across the dead ground. Black Raven remains with his back turned at Trigon. The red demon with horns growls,

"You have made your choice, then! I have given you a chance to join me, and yet you refused! You do not see us as brothers! You are a disgrace to our kind!" Trigon booms.

Black Raven turns his head slightly.

"As I said once before, if you do anything that will threaten Azarath…I will stop you." He rewords with a calm voice.

"…" Trigon crosses his arms, "This is not over yet, Raven. This is not over."

Trigon's four eyes glimmer with red light. His body vanishes with flames spontaneously coming out of him. He disappears and is nowhere in sight. Raven looks again to see if he is truly gone. Trigon and Black Raven are not really related, but since they are the last demons, all they have left is each other. From what she just saw, they do NOT get along. She looks at Black Raven who talks to himself aloud.

"I lost control of my emotions again…" Black Raven comments to no one, "I have failed you again, Azar…I have failed you."

Raven has never seen self-pity like this. He and she are very much in common. They both try to restrain their emotions and cannot let their power go haywire. Hearing that Black Raven fully controlled his emotions, but seeing him slide off the balance and listening to him so placidly apologetic, Raven wants to comfort him and tells him that it is okay. Of course, she cannot do that.

Black Raven inhales deeply and exhales.

With two fingers, he gestures downward in open space and creates a portal.

He goes into the portal with Raven coming from behind.

* * *

**A/N:** Please give me some of your thoughts by writing a review.

If you have any predictions or comments, please add them too.


	3. The New Earth

"Are you truly indicating that Trigon knows where Azarath is located?" A High Order male magistrate looks down upon Black Raven, who is standing on the small table stone.

"Yes. In order for me to discover the reasons why he is destroying the dimensions, I was compelled to connect my mind with his." Black Raven explains, "In that connection, he was able to look into my mind."

"Then that means that you were careless of your actions." Another male magistrate assumes.

"…" Black Raven bows his head, "Yes."

"…"

"However, I must share more information regarding Trigon with the council."

"Speak." Azar permits.

"I am intuitive enough to say that Trigon will not come to Azarath just yet."

"Explain."

"Since I returned, I have not sensed Trigon enter in the dimension field so far. If he wishes to destroy Azarath with the upmost intentions, he would have at least transported himself here after our encounter. However, as of this moment, I do not sense his evil presence at all. My presumption would be that despite knowing where Azarath is, Trigon does not know how to traverse into this dimension.

"Does not know YET, you presume?" A female monk corrects.

"Yes."

"What shall we do in the meantime if that presumption is accurate?"

"I suggest the High Council to create a spell-binding shield that guards the entrance into Azarath's dimension; a seal that could block out all evil and outsiders would be the recommendation. With the combined magic of the council members, Trigon's power would not be able to damage the seal, and he would be unable to enter Azarath."

"I see. So with this seal, we would deflect against Trigon?" A different male magistrate questions.

"That is correct." Black Raven nods.

"Will it deflect against you, as well?"

"…?" Black Raven's face twitches from that question, "I beg your pardon?"

Azar sighs with her fingers interlinking, "Raven. The council has conceded to banish you from the realms of Azarath."

"Wha-?"

"The reason being is that you are growing to become a threat to the city." Another magistrate explicates.

"A threat…?"

"From your explanation of why Trigon knows where our city is, you were obviously unable to stop him. Not only did you fail to bring his destruction to an end, you have allowed this vicious and treacherous demon to gain a step closer towards bringing that destruction here." The same magistrate raises his voice.

"Along with that mistake, you, Raven, returned here instantly after your feud with him. Did you not know that Trigon could have easily traced your method of crossing into Azarath's dimension?" Another magistrate adds to the tension.

"…"

"And the monks have sensed that your emotions are beginning to emerge." A female monk states, "You, yourself, are aware of what will happen should you let your emotions control you."

"…Yes."

"It has been the council's unanimous decision to ask that you leave Azarath, and never to return." Azar stands with the other members.

"…" Black Raven bows his head down once more. "I…understand."

* * *

Black Raven stands on the bridge above the black bird symbol that is underneath with the small river stream. He is not jumping down. He is only looking at the water flowing beneath the bridge with the wind breezing through his dark tucked hair. Raven feels helpless by remembering that she is only a ghost in this world, and no one can see her.

_"I never thought that the monks would kick you out that way. I always believed that they were kind, and willing to help anyone."_ Raven says aloud to Black Raven, who cannot hear her words, _"I guess…they're pretty harsh sometimes."_

Out of nowhere, Azar crosses onto the bridge and stands next to the black cloaked man. Her face has the mien of shame and culpability. She is visibly unhappy about what has been decided for Black Raven.

"I…must apologize for my lack of repudiation towards the others' decisions." Azar expresses her regret, "Forgive me."

"No, I must be the one to apologize." Black Raven comments, "My actions towards my brother were inconsiderate for the city of Azarath. I did not think over what I was doing."

"Raven…we all do what is necessary to protect those we care about, even if it hurts them more than good."

"But I let Trigon know where Azarath is. Your grandmother and mother protected this city for their whole lives. Now, because of me…I have tarnished their reputation. I am not worthy enough to be a guardian of Azarath. I must leave at once."

"Please, do not take the guilt upon yourself this way." Azar puts her hand on Black Raven's shoulder, "As long I can tell that you did it to defend Azarath, you are deemed innocent to me."

"…" Black Raven frowns while putting his hood on and faces towards the old monk, "I shall leave these realms and never return again, Azar. I must say farewell to you now."

"…" Azar slowly takes her hand off him, and offers a small, sad smile. "I will try to find a way to persuade the council to let you come back. This will always be your home, and you do not deserve to be left out."

"…" Black Raven remembers something, "I had a thought of your request of having me go to Earth. Perhaps, I shall go there and study the humans for the time being."

"If that is what fits for you, then so be it." Azar nods, "Again, I am truly sorry."

"…"

"Good-bye, Raven. I hope to see you once more. Let the light of Azarath guide you."

Azar leaves the bridge and walks in the direction of the temple as Black Raven and Raven watch. Raven follows Black Raven to the black bird symbol under the bridge and transports herself back to the circular room full of books. Black Raven looks at the map with the alignments of stars on the table. He shifts the alignments around as Raven apprehends the knowledge of how Black Raven uses the constellations to travel through dimensions. He stops at a certain point, and Raven studies the map. From what she can tell, she sees familiar constellations of stars. The constellations are Aquarius, Capricorn, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Libra, Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus, Aries, and Pisces. These constellations are visible on Earth. Black Raven probably used the constellations to pinpoint the location of where to transport himself via portal.

Black Raven breathes in deeply, and sighs. He rolls up the map and puts it into a nearby shelf. He stands in front of the black bird symbol on the wall. Looking back, he studies his entire study room one last time. Tapping on the black bird symbol, a black portal opens. Raven follows as Black Raven enters the portal and leaves Azarath for good.

* * *

Exiting the portal, Black Raven arrives in a shadowy alley between two buildings. The sky is bright blue, and the sun sheds its light through the white drifting clouds. Black Raven comes out of the alleyway to see the entire environment. Numerous people are walking on the sidewalks, and cars drive on the streets. Cars…Black Raven had never seen such contraptions before. His mind deduces that this is the result of the humans' evolution. He can see people in the four-wheeled machine, and he understands that the vehicle is one of their methods of transportation.

As for the people, they all look lively and contented, judging from their faces.

Black Raven looks at the architectures of the city. The buildings are by far different and less cutting-edge than the walls of Azarath's. Nevertheless, Black Raven is impressed at the new progression of human technology. He wonders what the name of the city is. Searching for a source provider, he sees two men, in urban clothing with beanies on top, standing nearby a shop that sells coffee. They are talking and reading a newspaper at the same time. Black Raven goes up to them.

"Salutations." Black Raven already catches their attention with his black cloak and darkened face, "Do you know the name of this city?"

"Uh…yea…Gotham City." A man slowly answers while studying the sight of the hooded man.

"Gotham…City…" Black Raven repeats.

"You, uh…new here?" The second man looks up and down at Black Raven's style of clothing.

"Yes. I would like to ask you a query, if that is acceptable."

"…" The two men stand there and agree with the movement of their shoulders.

"From five-hundred years ago until now, how much have the humans progressed as a species?" Black Raven asks.

"Five-hundred years…?" A man raises his eyebrows at that number.

"Oh, wow…a lot of things happened…right, Dave?" The second man looks to the first man.

"Well, we got the…" Dave looks around, "Cars! Oh yeah, we got cars. Uh…New hairdo? Clothes? Education? Bob, what do you think?"

"How about pizza? We got pizza." Bob answers.

"Pizza? I'm pretty sure that pizza came out way back before five-hundred years."

"No, it didn't. Pizza came out on…"

While the two are discussing the topic of pizza, Black Raven's eyes glance down on the newspaper the man named Dave is carrying. He spots something peculiar.

"What is that?" Black Raven interrupts them.

Dave looks down and notices that Black Raven is looking at the headlines of "The Gotham Times."

"What, this?" Dave holds up the newspaper and hands it to Black Raven.

Black Raven stares at the big main picture on the front page. It is showing a man in white make-up and purple clothing with a sadistic look in his eyes, tied up at a fire hydrant. The big, bold, black text that screams off the gray-white sheet says, "The Joker Stopped Again!"

"That's the Joker. He is quite a clown around here…thinks killing people is funny." Bob warns.

"A clown, you say?" Black Raven questions as he reads the column.

"A CRAZY clown. That guy's been letting loose his psycho out everywhere in Gotham. He and Batman got a history." Dave puts his hands in his coat's pocket.

"Batman…?" Black Raven lowers the newspaper and looks at the two men.

"Oh yeah, you're new, I forgot. Batman's a guy who's been around and protecting the people in Gotham. From the police, he's a hero. But to others, he's also crazy." Dave nods his head up and down.

"Yeah, just a guy dressed like a bat and in black. Kinda like you." Bob points, "You're not Batman, are you?"

"I most certainly am not." Black Raven affirms.

"Oh, then you're pretty much normal." Bob chuckles with Dave.

"…" Black Raven looks back at the newspaper, "Is this Batman character a human being?"

"Of course! Well…at least, I think so…I hope so…Is he human, Bob?" Dave scrunches his eyebrows.

"Most likely…I've seen him with the Commissioner talking one time. He's gotta be human. Ain't like Batman a demon or something…"

"Yeah, demons don't talk to people that way…" Dave agrees.

"Do you have a form of prejudice against demons?" Black Raven returns his eyes to the two men.

"Uh…Demons…don't exist…" Dave moves his eyeballs side-to-side, "Right…?"

"Psh…of course not." Bob scoffs at Dave's question.

"I wish to see this Batman. Where can I find him?" Black Raven gives back the newspaper.

"…" The two men look at him with confusion.

"Are you kidding me?" Dave absurdly smirks, "Man, people's been trying to find Batman for years! No one can JUST find him. No one knows where he is!"

"I see…"

"Wait, I got an idea! A stupid idea, but listen…" Bob sniggers, "You should start doing a crime…and let Batman come to you! Batman's always been at every crime."

"Yeah, good idea! AND, do it at night, too! Batman only comes out at night." Dave adds.

"What happens if I do it in broad daylight?" Black Raven queries once more.

"…" Dave and Bob look at each other, muddled.

"I…I don't know…Why doesn't any criminal do crime in the day?" Dave turns to Bob.

"Don't know…I guess, it just seems right to do it at night."

"…Huh…Sorry, buddy, but we can't help you there." Dave looks to Black Raven, "If you looking for Batman, you can't do it with the sun up. Like I said, he's too much of a bat. Crazy, huh?"

"…"

"But hey, if you wanna meet a crazy guy in daylight, you should go to Metropolis." Dave suggests.

"Metropolis…?" Black Raven hears an unfamiliar name.

"It's another city not too far from here. There's another hero who likes to wear a cape…a RED cape." Dave informs.

"Oh yeah…big man in blue tights with a big "S" symbol on his chest. We call him, Superman." Bob describes the other hero in Metropolis.

"Superman…Is there anything distinguishable about him that contrasts from this Batman in Gotham?" Black Raven takes note of this new character.

"Plenty of stuff. Uh…he's out in daylight AND night. He wears brighter colors. He flies, his chest made of steel, got laser eyes, freeze breath…" Bob uses his fingers to list.

"Yeah, he's pretty fast, too. Faster than speed of light." Dave nods.

"What…? No, that's the Flash." Bob corrects, "The Flash is faster than speed of light."

"No way…Superman's much faster than the Flash. I've seen it…" Dave disagrees.

"No you didn't." Bob scoffs, "Superman ain't as fast like the Flash. Put them in a running contest, Flash can beat him ten times over."

"You really wanna argue this right now? Superman's got powers that grow stronger. And if going fast is one of them, Superman's always gonna get faster. That's that. End of discussion."

"I say Flash is faster and Superman's got nothing on-!"

"Enough!" Black Raven stops their dispute by raising his hand.

"I appreciate you two sharing information with me." Black Raven bows his head, "Thank you."

As Black Raven turns away and goes back in the shadowy alley, Dave shouts, "Uh…nice talking to you, Mr. Shady!"

* * *

Black Raven stops in the middle of the alley, and ponders over what he just learned.

A human dressed like a bat…Another human dressed as a clown…One is a hero…One is a villain…Both are psychopaths?

Superman…? Flash…? Phenomenal speed…?

Is this the progression of humans?

Black Raven looks up into the sky. Using his powers, he levitates himself in the air. Gradually gaining altitude, he hovers over the city of Gotham. Raven flies up with him. She looks at the big city as Black Raven thinks to himself. Then, he glides across at a pace while looking at the people below. After passing by a number of vicinities, he halts over an area of troubling matters.

Looking below, he hears a blonde female screaming loudly. Groups of people on the street are watching a man backing away with what seems to be a large bag with green paper falling out, and a woman, with a bag covering her head, as his hostage. Black Raven remains in the air as he tunes his hearing to the subject.

"None of you do anything funny! I see you calling the cops…" The man, with a black ski mask that has three holes for his eyes and mouth, puts a revolver's barrel on the head-covered hostage, "…her head's gotta splatter all over!"

"…" Black Raven crosses his arms in silence.

Raven stares at him with a bewildered face, _"Aren't you going to do something?"_

Knowing that she is still a ghost, she cannot stop the man and save the woman. Black Raven can fix the problem with easiness, but he looks like he is only waiting for a moment, possibly, of opportunity. The man walks backwards into an alley and maintains his weapon on the hostage. The witnesses and bystanders stand in their places, lost their sight of the man, and wonder if they should call the police.

Black Raven uncrosses his arms and begins to interfere.

The man looks behind his back to check if the stolen money is still in the bag, and if anyone is watching him. The female hostage starts squirming and the man tightens his arm around her neck.

"Quiet! Keep on yapping, you ain't gonna yap again!" the man threatens.

Black Raven lands on the ground in front of the man. The man jerks and aims the gun at the hooded figure. The shadows from the side buildings hide Black Raven's entire body. The man can only see a silhouette. As Black Raven straightens up on his feet, the man starts sweating.

"B-Batman? Why are you here? You ain't supposed to be-!"

A ray of sunlight cuts through the gloom, shining between Black Raven and the man. Black Raven gets closer to the ray and is more visible with his concealed face. The man exhales with a brief relief,

"You ain't Bats! Just a guy in costume." the man snickers.

Black Raven looks at the odd object in the man's hand.

He steps in closer to take a better look.

"Don't move!" the man pulls the hammer back, "Get any closer…and she's dead!"

The man points the object at the hostage.

Connecting the object with the word, "dead," Black Raven concludes that the object can take away her life. Therefore, it is a weapon.

"Pardon me." Black Raven brings his hands out beneath his cloak, "I believe it is best if you do not treat that other person's life with such superiority."

"What…?"

"Please, release her. It will only create-."

A bullet ejects out of the silver barrel that is pointing towards him and cuts in the middle Black Raven's sentence. Black Raven grimaces and bends his body down. The hostage whimpers and struggles more.

"I said, quit your yapping!" the man jams the barrel in her side.

The hostage falls down and lies on the ground, hurt from the impact. The man looks back at Black Raven. He is stunned to see Black Raven standing straight up. He spots the fired bullet suspended in air in front of Black Raven. Some kind of black energy is engulfing the bullet. Black Raven rises up the bullet and studies it close up.

"Intriguing. Your projectile device fires a small amount of one of Earth's metallic elements. With such speed and instant release, it would definitely replace an arrow and bow." Black Raven spins the bullet in place.

"Wh-Wh-What are you?" the man shivers.

"…" Black Raven's gray eyes gaze at the man.

"Grah…!" the man aims at weapon at him again.

Black Raven reacts first. Flicking his index finger, the black energy fires the bullet at the man. The bullet misses and zips by the man's face. The man freezes. For some reason, he could not shoot. For some reason, he knows he is up against a force that is bigger than he is. For some reason, he drops the gun and runs off with bag of money.

_"Hey, he's getting away!"_ Raven says aloud next to Black Raven, and runs to the end of the alley.

Instead of chasing after the man, Black Raven walks over to the female hostage, who is lying on the ground while holding on her side. He kneels down and looks down at the brown fabric bag covering her head. After pulling his hood back and uncovering his gray-skin face with a red diamond-shaped gemstone on his forehead, he puts his hand on the bag. The woman jerks and whimpers again. Black Raven gently places his hand on her upper arm.

"It is all right. I am merely removing the bag over your head." Black Raven changes the pitch of his voice to elicit a human-friendly tone.

The woman somewhat calms her body, and lets Black Raven pull off the bag.

Raven looks out of the alley to see where the man ran off. Unable to find him, she turns back to Black Raven, who is tending to the woman on the ground. She walks up to them as Black Raven takes off the bag.

The woman's hair waves out of the bag with a color of violet. Her black eyes, accompanied with her skin smeared with dirt, connect with Black Raven's gray ones. Her young appearance of a late adolescent grazes into Black Raven's long-term memory, and retrieves from Raven's. Raven gasps as she recognizes the young woman's face.

_"Mother…?"_

* * *

**A/N: **Please review and tell me what you think, please!

**Credits for Beta Reader:** Juniper Night


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